On 17 March ITV in Britain is broadcasting 'The Queen', a two hour "in depth portrait" of Elizabeth II made during the Diamond Jubilee year.
Robert Hardman, a correspondent for the Mail was involved and has written the companion-piece book.

I've picked out three excerpts: the Queen's audiences with her Prime Ministers (in which King Constantine has a small role), the red boxes, and State Banquets.

Audience with PM David Cameron Suddenly, an equerry appears at the door in a tweed jacket and tie with a suited Prime Minister. ‘The Prime Minister, Your Majesty,’ he announces and withdraws. David Cameron strides in confidently, almost glowing after a bracing day’s fishing and walking on the Balmoral estate. The Queen steers him to a cosy armchair in front of a rather uncosy fireplace (where an electric heater has taken the place of a log fire).

And so begins that cornerstone of Britain’s unwritten constitution – the private chat between hereditary head of state and elected head of government.

...[At Balmoral] Every prime minister since Churchill has sat in this room, mulling over the state of the nation – preceded by a natter about the Highlands. ‘I really enjoyed my time down on the river,’ says David Cameron. ‘Probably too bright for fishing, really,’ muses the Queen, who knows the River Dee better than anyone. These are chatty encounters, not formulaic rituals. They were much less congenial in the days of Queen Victoria, who would shut herself away at Glas Allt Shiel, her remote hideaway miles up the glen. As the Queen reflects wryly just before Mr Cameron’s arrival, ‘She used to make the prime minister come up and see her there.’ When prime ministers and their spouses arrive at Balmoral these days, they are part of the family house party and all its traditions, not least Prince Philip’s famous barbecues.

In the new play, "The Audience", Helen Mirren’s fictional Queen apparently falls asleep as David Cameron attempts to brief her on the euro. In Our Queen, we see what happens when the euro really does crop up during another prime ministerial audience, this time at Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s response? She is anything but bored. In fact, when Mr Cameron does start to brief her on the latest Eurozone crisis and the upcoming Greek election, she lets slip that she has been discussing it with a local expert. ‘The King did ring me,’ she tells Mr Cameron. ‘He’s very worried about it.’

As successive prime ministers have learned, the Queen is genuinely interested in this stuff. Patronise her at your peril.

The red boxes
The film also includes the first television interview with a serving private secretary to the Queen. Wherever she is in the world, the Queen is always accompanied by one of her trio of private secretaries, her most senior advisers. They are the main conduit between the Monarch and the state and, aside from the Queen herself, are the only people with keys to her red boxes.

As he prepares to fill another one with state papers in need of attention or a signature, Edward Young, the deputy private secretary, explains that he and his colleagues do give the Queen a day off from her red boxes – but not often. ‘It is a 365 – pretty much – day-a-year monarchy, because that’s how it is,’ says Mr Young. ‘As a rule, Christmas Day is a day when there isn’t a red box and just occasionally on the Queen’s birthday as well. But I’m afraid that’s it.’

State Banquets
As Buckingham Palace prepares to welcome its latest state visitor, the President of Indonesia, we see that the Queen is as rigorous as ever as she inspects the preparations. Surveying the dazzling state banquet table, she makes sure the unsightly microphones – for the pre-dinner speeches – are well-disguised by the foliage.

Despite hosting more dinners for more world leaders than any sovereign in history, the Queen is still endearingly impressed by the magic of a state banquet. At one point, she stands back to take in the scene. Just for a moment, she could be one of the 500,000 tourists who flock through the Palace each year as she murmurs proudly, "Grand!".

The article is total "bull" because The Queen just happens to be doing something she is SUPPOSED to do; that apparently makes her passionate about it.

Quote:

The Queen will tomorrow back an historic pledge to promote gay rights and ‘gender equality’ in one of the most controversial acts of her reign.
In a live television broadcast, she will sign a new charter designed to stamp out discrimination against homosexual people and promote the ‘empowerment’ of women – a key part of a new drive to boost human rights and living standards across the Commonwealth.
In her first public appearance since she had hospital treatment for a stomach bug, the Queen will sign the new Commonwealth Charter and make a speech explaining her passionate commitment to it.
Insiders say her decision to highlight the event is a ‘watershed’ moment – the first time she has clearly signalled her support for gay rights in her 61-year reign.

I wonder if anyone else has heard the recording of Pierre Brassard's hoax call to the Queen? In October 1995, during the Quebec referendum debate in Canada, Brassard phoned the Queen at Buckingham Palace and convinced her he was the Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien. The conversation that followed is fascinating to listen to, especially for anyone interested in the role of the monarchy in the constitution.

Her Majesty was impeccable, as always, and I was impressed by the ease with which she swapped from English to French at Brassard's request.

Oh yes, he's a well-known phone prankster. He wasn't charged with anything. He got through to Pope Paul II as well. One well-known Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau got his revenge though. Not many media personalities get roughed up by former prime ministers. Trudeau went so far as to kick this fellow in the groin. That action starts at 1:14.

Dont you think the Queen's words "It sounds the referendum may go the wrong way" are rather political..which shouldnt have come out from her. But excused, since she is having a private conversation..
Another thing..Such "requests" are not directly presented to The Queen all of a sudden. There should be some background communication before hand (his secretary to her secretary).
It was a bit awkward that she was required to reply to his request right then, forcing her to speak to her Private Secretary on the other line.
I appreciate how crucial the job of HM's Private Secretary is..and how alert he has to be.. (though his reply was nothing but most common-sensical, but still)

Some questions..
1.Does the Queen consult British PM/Cabinet with regard to crucial decisions regarding Canada/Australia etc.? Regarding something like these "requests"?
2.What was the public reaction (especially separatists in Quebec) to this clip? (Clearly it shows the Queen's personal views..)
3.Can someone give a brief summary of the French part of their conversation? I have absolutely no idea..

__________________
The only word I hate in the Royal Dictionary - ABDICATION

1.Does the Queen consult British PM/Cabinet with regard to crucial decisions regarding Canada/Australia etc.? Regarding something like these "requests"?

No, when acting in her capacity as Queen of Canada, the Queen only consults the Canadian Prime Minister. This applies equally to all the realms of which she is Queen.

2.What was the public reaction (especially separatists in Quebec) to this clip? (Clearly it shows the Queen's personal views..)

Constitutionally, the Queen is entitled (indeed obliged) to share her private political views with her ministers. This phone call is unique because it is the sole example of the Queen expressing a political view to someone who she thought was her Prime Minister which was recorded and made public. I'm not aware of how her remarks were received in Quebec, though I imagine most Canadians would have expected that the Queen would favour Canadian unity.

Indeed, the Queen had publicly declared her support for national unity in the UK in her Silver Jubilee speech in 1977 when, in reference to devolution proposals, she said:

Quote:

I number Kings and Queens of England and of Scotland, and Princes of Wales among my ancestors and so I can readily understand these aspirations.

But I cannot forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Perhaps this Jubilee is a time to remind ourselves of the benefits which union has conferred, at home and in our international dealings, on the inhabitants of all parts of this United Kingdom.

In light of this, I think it was foreseeable that HM would feel the same about Canada.

1.Does the Queen consult British PM/Cabinet with regard to crucial decisions regarding Canada/Australia etc.? Regarding something like these "requests"?

No, when acting in her capacity as Queen of Canada, the Queen only consults the Canadian Prime Minister. This applies equally to all the realms of which she is Queen.

These days she wouldn't even consult the PM herself as they would be dealing with the GG in their own nation and consulting the GG only. She may be informed of crucial decisions but that isn't necessary either as she actually plays no official part in these realms any more.

Another interesting aspect to this phone call is the ease and relaxed manner in which HM entered the conversation. This would indicate that private phone calls from overseas Prime Ministers, or at the minimum calls from this Canadian Prime Minister, were nothing out of the ordinary. While assuming the role of "friend", sounding board, confidante, mentor or whatever, she would also have to keep in mind her position as Sovereign and the constitutional boundaries that involves. Based on this incident, she manages that balancing act assuredly and seamlessly. Very impressive.

These days she wouldn't even consult the PM herself as they would be dealing with the GG in their own nation and consulting the GG only. She may be informed of crucial decisions but that isn't necessary either as she actually plays no official part in these realms any more.

It is true that the occasions on which the Queen consults with the Prime Minister of Canada, when acting in her capacity as Queen of Canada, are probably not very frequent, and that such consultations in Canada and the other realms would normally be between the PM and the Governor General.

However, on those occasions, however rare, that the Queen acts in her capacity as Queen of Canada, HM would and does consult directly with the PM of Canada. That is why this phone call did not seem unusual to the Queen; she is accustomed to giving her Prime Ministers in her various realms direct access.

These days she wouldn't even consult the PM herself as they would be dealing with the GG in their own nation and consulting the GG only. She may be informed of crucial decisions but that isn't necessary either as she actually plays no official part in these realms any more.

Have there been any developments in the relationship between the Queen and Commonwealth Realms since 1995 that would change how or who she interacts with?

I would think that HM would be just as likely to consult a PM as she would be to consult a GG. The GG is her representative, but the PM is still the leader of her government.

The conversation that takes place here seems to indicate that HM found nothing strange in who she believed to be the PM of Canada (and not the GG) calling her, and she seemed to be well aware of what was a very big issue in one of her realms at the time. I would hope that given as she is still the head of state in the various Commonwealth Realms that she would be just as informed on such matters now as she was then. I would also hope that she maintains a relationship with all of her PMs, and for that matter all of her GGs as well.

Just a thought, It one thing to be a monarch of one country but it a different being monarch of 16 Countries. I would think it would be a little hard to manage but maybe not I guess. The Queen Obviously knows what going in the world in other countries that she is Head of State of (Including the whole Commonwealth to which she is the head of but not Monarch to all of then) and other countries as will where she is not Monarch (or countries not part of the commonwealth) like any state leader in the world.

Does HM The Queen get Newspapers from her other Realms delivered to her daily or have a Secretary to keep her updated on what going on in her other countries that she Queen of?

And I respectfully resent that my thread has been thrown in at the tail end of this generic "Prime Ministers, Political Advisers and the Powers & Prerogatives of the Monarch" thread. I labelled it the "Monarchy and the Constitution" but it's obviously a whole lot more interesting than just that: it's an intriguing, fly on the wall perspective of the Queen interacting with one of her ministers. I think this recording deserves a thread all of its own, and should get a dramatic title like: "Queen hoaxed by PM" or something like that...

I imagine that many members of this forum who aren't at all interested in the constitutional aspect of the Queen's role would be fascinated to hear it because it shows a more personal side of the Queen that we don't often see; but that's unlikely to happen now, since it's been hidden away here.

The above conversation took place in 1977 and most if not all realms have passed legislation to change the position of the monarch since then e.g. Australia in 1977 still had imperial honours, God Save the Queen as the National Anthem, could appeal to the Privy Council etc but that all change with the Australia Act that meant that The Queen now is a pure figurehead and nothing more - has no say or involvement in Australia other than to rubber stamp the GG into their position. The other realms have all moved on since 1977 as well.

It would very likely cause a constitutional crisis in the other realms if it was known that the PM was consulting The Queen on any issue - informing her is different to consulting her.

The above conversation took place in 1977 and most if not all realms have passed legislation to change the position of the monarch since then e.g. Australia in 1977 still had imperial honours, God Save the Queen as the National Anthem, could appeal to the Privy Council etc but that all change with the Australia Act that meant that The Queen now is a pure figurehead and nothing more - has no say or involvement in Australia other than to rubber stamp the GG into their position. The other realms have all moved on since 1977 as well.

It would very likely cause a constitutional crisis in the other realms if it was known that the PM was consulting The Queen on any issue - informing her is different to consulting her.

The conversation with the Queen and (allegedly) Jean Chretien? No, that took place in 1995 when Chretien was PM.